Chapter 1032: Naval Battle, Doflamingo vs. Charlotte Daifuku

Chapter 1032: Chapter 1032: Naval Battle, Doflamingo vs. Charlotte Daifuku

At the break of dawn, the deafening roar of cannons already filled the air. Thick, suffocating smoke choked the horizon as countless black, scorching cannonballs whistled across the sea, slamming into the water and kicking up towering plumes of spray.

Sailors bellowed their commands, maneuvering their warships through the turbulent swells, some charging fearlessly, others taking direct hits and sinking into the abyss. Masts buckled and splintered, and debris flew through the air in a chaotic dance of destruction.

"Overheat!"

A scorching, thread-like pillar descended from the sky, piercing the air with a sharp, piercing whine. It effortlessly sheared a massive pirate ship, identifiable by its bull-head figurehead, clean in half, cutting down a dozen pirates on the deck in the process.

BOOM—

The massive vessel snapped in two, the cross-section unnervingly smooth, as it tilted and slipped into the sea. Hundreds of pirates scrambled, either frantically lowering lifeboats or leaping into the water, screaming as they swam with all their might to escape the sinking wreck. They knew all too well that when such massive ships foundered, they would create a colossal whirlpool, dragging everything nearby into the deep.

"Damn you, Doflamingo!"

A burly man with a bull-horned helmet roared in grief and rage. Clad in a brown coat embroidered with gold thread and wielding a two-meter nodachi, he stood on the bow of his ship, his bare chest wrapped in white bandages that were already beginning to seep with fresh blood.

Pablo, nicknamed "Big Bull," captain of the Big Bull Pirates, with a bounty of 388 million berries.

"Sink to the bottom of the ocean along with your ship! Fufufufu!"

Doflamingo cackled, retracting his hand as he stepped onto the nearly invisible "Sky Path" of threads, looking down at the brawny captain with utter disdain.

BOOM!

Suddenly, driven by desperation, Pablo slammed his feet down with all his might. The force drove the sinking bow of his ship deep into the churning sea. He launched himself into the air like a cannonball, his nodachi raised high, descending toward Doflamingo with a lethal, desperate ferocity, as if he intended to carve the Shichibukai in two.

"If I die, I’ll make sure to leave an unforgettable scar on you!"

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. Athlete!"

Doflamingo laughed. He dove downward, twisting his waist to unleash a vicious whip-kick. At the tip of his foot, eight nearly transparent, razor-sharp threads extended, instantly clashing against the edge of Pablo’s descending blade.

CLANG—

A sharp, metallic shriek rang out across the air, followed by a shockwave that rippled outward, violently distorting the atmosphere.

"It’s useless. You’re too weak!"

Doflamingo grinned, a cruel, evil smile spreading across his face. He swiped his hand, and five sharp, invisible threads sliced into Pablo’s chest. A spray of blood erupted as his body was brutally rent open.

"Aaargh!"

Pablo shrieked in agony. Five deep gashes, exposing bone, marred his chest, instantly sapping his strength. He tumbled from the sky, crashing into the sea below with a heavy splash.

Swish—

Suddenly, a blindingly sharp slash of light flashed through the void. Several Big Mom Pirates’ Tart ships and one vessel were struck by an invisible blade, their hulls instantly bisected before slowly groaning as they began to sink.

On the deck of a massive, hundred-meter-long ship adorned with a black wolf figurehead, Oliver slowly sheathed his sword, his expression icy and indifferent, save for a fleeting, chilling light in his eyes.

"Whoa! Doflamingo-sama is mighty!"

"As expected of a Shichibukai, worthy of standing alongside our Captain!"

"Commander Oliver is incredible! He severed several ships with a single mid-air strike!"

"That strike from a Great Swordsman is legendary! Oliver-sama truly lives up to his reputation as a world-renowned master!"

On the nearby ships, the pirates of the Chris Pirates’ faction cheered in excitement as they witnessed the two displays of dominance.

"Damn you, Doflamingo! Damn you, Oliver!"

Light blue mist swirled in the air, rapidly condensing into the hulking figure of the Genie. Wielding a long-handled sword, he lashed out at Doflamingo in the air.

"Daifuku!"

Doflamingo sneered. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of thin threads shot out, rapidly weaving into a massive spiderweb before him.

ZING—

The Genie’s blade struck the web. The sheer force caused the massive sword to bow inward, snapping several threads, but after a few seconds of deadlock, the blade failed to break through the defensive web.

"Die!"

Doflamingo barked. He swung both hands outward, and ten razor-sharp, nearly invisible threads whipped out, instantly shattering the Genie’s body and turning it back into a cloud of light blue mist.

Without missing a beat, pulled by his "Sky Path," Doflamingo surged toward a massive Big Mom Pirates’ ship, the very flagship where Daifuku stood.

"Doflamingo!"

"Quick! Stop him!"

"Fire! Open fire!"

A group of panicked pirates, shocked to see Doflamingo closing in, raised their rifles and unleashed a frantic barrage of bullets.

"Boring."

Doflamingo curled his lip. He shot into the sky, then plummeted back down like a meteor, slamming onto the deck of the flagship with a heavy thud.

"Billow White!"

A low, menacing voice rumbled from Doflamingo. In an instant, the deck transformed into a wasteland of white strings. Several massive pillars formed from thousands of translucent threads surged upward like the tentacles of a giant sea monster. With a lazy sweep, they struck the crowd, sending them flying back, blood spraying from their mouths.

BOOM!

The massive, twenty-meter-high mainmast was smashed by a thick pillar of white thread, buckling with a sickening crunch. It crashed down, demolishing the starboard railing and punching a gaping hole through the hull of a nearby Tart ship.

"Doflamingo!"

Daifuku’s heart burned with rage. He roared, "Genie!"

The ambient light blue mist instantly swirled back, reforming into the seven-to-eight-meter-tall Genie, who charged at Doflamingo, his long-handled blade held high, brimming with murderous intent.

"Genie-uine Rage Split!"

"Off White!"

BOOM—

The structures on the deck and the mizzenmast at the stern were caught in the path of the terrifying blade-wind, shorn cleanly in two, the upper portions sent flying into the sky.

"That’s a sharp slash!"

Two massive pillars of thread rose before Doflamingo. He stared in surprise as deep fissures appeared in the pillars, nearly cutting two-thirds of the way through.

"Break White!"

Suddenly, the white "thread-land" covered half of the flagship. Several thick, white pillars erupted from the ground near Daifuku like aquatic monstrosities, thrusting, whipping, and coiling toward him.

"Genie!"

Daifuku scrambled to dodge, calling the Genie back to assist in fending off the onslaught of the massive, shifting threads.

Watching this, Doflamingo gave a sinister laugh and extended his index finger. Threads secreted from the tip, which he fired off like bullets.

"Bullet String!"

Pop, pop, pop, pop...

The tiny white shadows were nearly invisible to the naked eye, striking with the velocity of high-caliber rounds. Daifuku, caught off guard, managed to dodge a few, but several struck his chest, forcing his movements to falter.

At that moment, a massive pillar of white thread whipped out, slamming directly into Daifuku’s body. He was sent flying, blood erupting from his mouth as he crashed into the captain’s quarters on the bow. The force carried him through multiple decks below, kicking up a tower of dust and leaving behind a gaping, abyss-like hole.